The End
by SkyBlueSw
Summary: Mara cheats on Luke or does she?


This was a challenge fic I wrote for Jade-Skywalker group. I can't remember who posted the challenge now it's been to long ago. But I did find this story and I might someday write more no promises though. So here it is.  
  
Sw  
~*~  
How could this have happened?   
Hadn't they been happy?   
Weren't they planning to start a family?  
Didn't the vows they shared mean anything to Mara at all?  
Why did Dan Kar have to enter their lives?   
Couldn't they have just grown old together?   
Was that too much to ask for?   
Hadn't he give enough to the Force, did it have to now take his wife as well?   
  
As the blue blade met his green once more Luke was reminded of the fight at hand. "Give up Skywalker"   
  
Luke looked down at his wife's jade-green eyes. Mara wasn't about to back down, and neither was he. "Never, Jade," Luke replied as he blocked another of her blows.   
  
Both were surprised as another lightsaber added itself to their fight.It was a blood red one.Only one person Luke knew of had one of those."Dan, leave. This is our fight"   
  
Mara also nodded her head in agreement with what her husband had spoken. "Luke's right. This has nothing to do with you. Leave."   
  
Dan's brown eyes looked at the woman he loved, then to her husband. He wasn't about to leave her alone with the son of Vader. "No, Mara. He might hurt you."   
  
Luke and Mara both laughed as and for a second both forgot where and why they were there. Luke hurt Mara? That was funny. "Farmboy here wouldn't hurt a bug." Mara stated, defending her husband.   
  
"This is none of your business, Dan." Luke stated. He didn't need to defend himself to this boy.   
  
"Yes, it is. I love Mara and she loves me. I won't let you hurt her," Dan said as he pushed Mara back. Now his blade was locked with Luke's. Mara fell back, caught off guard, and Luke used the Force to shut off her lightsaber before it could hit her.   
  
"Mr.Kar, you may think Mara's in love with you, but you're wrong.Mara Jade Skywalker is my wife.Do you now what that means?" Luke asked the young man who had just put himself some place he didn't belong yet again.   
  
Luke watched as Dan didn't even allow the question into his mind.Instead he tried to attack Luke with his blade.   
  
"She loves me, not you," Dan shouted as he once again locked blades with Luke.   
  
"Dan," Mara said as she stood up and turned on her blue blade.Dan turned to look at his love.   
  
"This has nothing to do with you.Luke and I spar all the time.Please leave now." When Dan shook his head no, Mara took a stand beside Luke.   
  
"Fine then.You fight Luke, you fight me." Luke was in shock.This whole fight was about Dan and Mara being lovers, and yet she had just joined his side.   
  
"Mara, I won't fight you." Dan said as he turned off his blade. "I don't understand why don't you want me to fight Master Skywalker?" he asked. Mara looked at the young man.His brown hair and eyes reminded her of the sand of Luke's home planet.   
  
"Because Luke is my husband.No matter what, I love him.I'm not leaving him, Dan, I'm sorry if that hurts you but it's the truth."Mara said as she turned from Dan to Luke.   
  
"No!" was all Mara heard before she saw Luke fall to the ground as Dan's blade impaled his chest. Mara's blue blade flashed, but as she was about to run the young man through, Luke yelled out, "Don't, Mar!" Mara ran to Luke. His blue eyes locked with her green ones. "Mara, I'm going to get to see our Baby soon.Please don't kill Dan, it will only lead you to the dark side."   
  
Tears ran down Mara's face. She couldn't lose Luke. "I love you," Luke whispered.   
  
Luke saw his life flash before his eyes. The last six months went by in slow motion.   
"Skywalker, do you like Ben or Owen better?"Mara asked as she rubbed her stomach.To think in six months they would have a baby of their own.   
  
"Mara, stop picking boy's names.It could be a girl you know," Luke said as he placed his hand on top of Mara's. Mara just smiled. Her world seemed right.   
  
Now if only the Jedi Haters would leave them alone, everything would be all right.   
  
Luke had tried to talk her into staying at his Jedi Academy but Mara wouldn't hear of it.   
  
"Are you sure, Mar, about going to Leia's tonight?"Luke asked as he pulled his wife into a hug. This whole day felt wrong to Luke somehow.   
  
"Time to go, Luke, we'll be late if we don't hurry," Mara said, heading for their front door.   
  
Luke was right behind her as their door opened. What happened next lived in his nightmares.Somehow one of the Jedi Haters had got into their building. He had a blaster, and the second the door opened, he fired, hitting Mara in the stomach.   
  
The next few weeks were the hardest of Luke's life.Mara hung between life and death.   
  
Luke experienced the pain of losing their only child, and the guilt of knowing that if only he'd been quicker, their baby would still be alive.   
  
Mara hadn't taken the news they could never have children well. Luke himself felt like dying. A wall that day went up between the couple. Luke blamed himself and Mara blamed herself, neither talked to the other.   
  
When they returned to the Academy Luke could remember pushing Mara away.Putting his work first, there were days he didn't speak a word to his wife.   
  
Three months after their baby and life together died Dan Kar came into the picture. He was Mara's new apprentice. The 25-year-old young man, with brown hair and brown eyes, had fallen head over heels in love with Mara at first sight.   
  
Looking back, Luke knew it was as much his fault as Mara's. Luke had always pushed Mara away, but Dan had always given Mara all his time.   
  
It wasn't until Luke walked in on Dan and Mara kissing a few days ago did he feel something other than guilt over his baby's death.   
  
That day had opened his eyes.Mara would never have gone to Dan if he hadn't pushed her into the young man's arms.   
  
"Don't leave me, Luke," Mara sobbed as she held his head on her lap.If she lost Luke there was nothing left to live for.   
Luke closed his eyes, expecting to feel the sweet oneness with the Force--but didn't.   
  
As he turned his head Luke couldn't belive what he was seeing.He was in a hospital room.It wasn't on Yavin either. How had he gotten here? There was no way Mara would have had time to get him to Coruscant.   
  
"Luke," Mara said as she leaned forward in her chair.Luke could see she had been crying her face was all puffy and red from it.   
  
"What happened?" Luke asked still trying to remember having been moved here. Mara walked to his bed, then gently laid down on Luke's good side.   
  
"Luke, you were right. I should have listened to you. But, no, I had to come to Coruscant, and because of that, I almost got you killed," Mara babbled on but Luke wasn't listening to her.   
  
Coruscant? Could it be? Had he somehow--no, he had to be dreaming. Only one way to find out. Luke reached out and touched Mara's presence. A smile appeared on his face as he felt the added presence of their unborn baby.   
  
"Mara, how long have I been here?" Luke asked as he ran his hand through Mara's red locks.   
  
"Two days -- the longest two days of my life.I was so afraid you would never wake up, Skywalker," Mara whispered as tears ran down her face.   
  
"Ssh," Luke said then kissed her forehead. "I'm okay and you and the baby are okay, so we're all fine."Luke said as tears ran down his own face. Their baby was okay, he or she was going to live. It had all been a dream, just a very bad dream. Yet Luke knew somehow that it hadn't been a dream. He'd seen a vision of what could have happened.   
  
Luke hugged Mara closer. In his vision, the end of his life had been sad, and made worse by the fact that Mara was left alone to mourn for him. That didn't matter now. All that mattered was what Luke held in his arms.   
"Anakin, I thought it wasn't the will of the Force for Luke to know of Dan Kar and his future actions," Obi-Wan stated.   
  
Watching his son and daughter-in-law sleeping peacefully, Anakin smiled as he answered, "I did not show Luke what Dan Kar was up to."   
  
Obi-wan smiled and shook his head. "Luke will not trust the boy when he arrives at the Academy in a few months."   
  
Anakin continued to smile as he answered, "He does not need to trust Dan. In fact, it would be better if he did not."   
  
Obi-Wan just nodded his head, and wondered where he had gone wrong with Anakin that he always thought differently than any other person, alive or dead.   
  
"Your feelings are not necessarily the will of the Force," Obi-Wan stated, feeling like the teacher once again.   
  
"True. However, I did not feel the Force constraining me. Therefore, it must have been the will of the Force," Anakin stated, then walked away, leaving Obi-Wan alone to think about what he had just spoken.   
  
A smile appeared on Anakin's face. The Force had owed him something, and he had just collected. Luke had been through enough; it was time for him to be happy. Now if he could just get Luke to name the baby after Obi-Wan, everything would be wonderful.   
THE END 


End file.
